 His nomination was the result of the right of La Rochelle to establish itself as a commune, granted by Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine, and upheld by his daughter Eleanor of Aquitaine.Guillaume was assisted in his responsibilities by 24 municipal magistrates, and 75 notables who had jurisdiction over the inhabitants.Under the communal charter, the city had the right to mint its own coins, and to operate some businesses free of royal taxes, dispositions which would favour the development of the entrepreneurial middle-class (bourgeoisie).